


A Helping Hand

by MaliceManaged



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Abandonment Issues, Absent Parents, Basically There's Gonna Be Feels All Around At Some Point, But At Least He's Going To Try, Canon-Typical Violence, Childbirth, Confessions, Gen, I Don't Know What The Hel I'm Doing, I'm Bad At Tagging, Loki Doesn't Mix Well With Prison, Loki Feels, Loki's Terrified Of Parenting, Odin's A+ Parenting, Pregnancy, Protective Loki, Referenced Child Neglect, Seriously Who Let That Guy Have Kids, Shapeshifting, Sibling Rivalry At It's Finest, Thor's Maybe Not The Sharpest Knife In The Crayon Box, Unlike SOME People, Unresolved Emotional Tension, unintentional confessions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-07
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-04-30 11:29:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5162240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaliceManaged/pseuds/MaliceManaged
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After escaping Asgard, a shapeshifted Loki finds shelter in the home of a pregnant human, and he's not very keen on leaving...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was born off a dream I had that refused to leave my mind until I did something with it. I intended it to be maybe four chapters long, but the more I work out the plot, the longer it gets. Just.. roll with it, I guess.

    Daria Lupei had seen many strange things in her twenty-five years of living, but the day she went into labour and the week following easily topped it all. It began as any other; she woke up to an empty bed, her fiancé long since gone to work, had a light breakfast after a shower that took longer than she liked thanks to her having to manoeuvre around her swollen stomach, fed her wolf, Adam, then went into her workshop to continue on her latest project. She had taken up jewellery crafting by her second trimester, mostly to have something to do, since her painting had been put on hold when the smell of her paints started making her nauseous no matter what she did. As she worked some Tahitian pearls into a cascading necklace, she felt her abdomen tighten uncomfortably and winced slightly, setting the string and the tool in her hands down so as to not risk dropping them, and placed her hand over the affected area. She took slow, deep breaths and waited for the contraction to pass, which it did soon enough only to be followed by a kick to her side, causing her to draw in a sharp breath.

 

    “Hey, easy!” She said, rubbing her belly, “I know you want out of there, but that’s no reason to abuse me.”

 

    Under the table, curled around her feet, Adam’s ears had perked up, and he nudged her calf lightly with his head.

 

    The large black wolf had simply turned up one day in Daria’s backyard around her fourth week of pregnancy, wounded and haggard and, against all common sense and her fiancé’s wishes, she had taken him in and nursed him back to health; he seemed reluctant to leave when he was well again, and so Daria happily gave him a place in her home and heart. Her fiancé had opposed, claiming it would cause problems with their neighbours, but Daria had put the matter to rest by pointing out that they had no neighbours for a mile and teasing him that he was just scared and jealous of the beast; which was entirely true, not that he would admit it. In the end, Adam was there to stay, and provided Daria with more companionship and security than she had known for most of her life.

 

    Another kick brought Daria out of her thoughts with a slight gasp that was more startled than pained, and Adam sat up and nuzzled his nose against her belly lightly, looking up at Daria with his oddly bright green eyes; she had occasionally wondered about that, but never really paid it much mind.

 

    Reaching out a hand, Daria scratched behind his ears. “How about a walk? Maybe it’ll calm the little beast down,” She suggested.

 

    Adam huffed a slight breath and stood from under the table, padding to the door and nudging it open, then looking back at Daria expectantly. With a slight groan, Daria slowly stood and followed him into her bedroom to change; she threw on a light grey peasant blouse and a pair of dark cotton pants, slipping on some black flats, and pulled her shoulder-lengthed brunette hair into a loose tail.

 

    Pinning the few stray locks that fell over her yellow eyes back with a pair of silver snake hairpins she had found among her things one day, she turned to Adam, who was lying on her bed, and spread her arms out. “Good?”

 

    Adam tilted his head to the side, as if inspecting her, then nodded. Daria’s fiancé often commented on how weird it was the way the animal responded to her words, as though he understood them, but Daria just brushed him off, telling him she’d read somewhere that wolves were very intelligent creatures and that he was being silly. With a smile, she left the room and then the house, Adam close behind.

 

    At a leisurely pace, Daria walked the path that wound through the woods that surrounded her home, a small pack on her back holding some bottles of water, a few snacks, and her keys and phone. Adam trotted beside her, occasionally wandering off, but never going far. From time to time, Daria would feel more contractions, but they didn’t last long or cause her more than mild discomfort at most; she had been feeling them for weeks now, and her doctor had told her it was normal, so she didn’t really worry about it. After about an hour, Daria felt the need to rest, so she looked around for a spot to sit; Adam padded up to her and nudged her hand with his nose, and when he was sure he had her attention, led her to a small clearing among the trees. She lowered herself to the mossy ground with some difficulty, then brought out a bottle of water from her pack and took a long drink. Adam had sat down in front of her and she reached over and ran her fingers through the fur on the side of his neck, earning a soft sigh of appreciation to which she smiled. The weather had been mild, a soft breeze blowing through the trees, but quite suddenly clouds began to gather overhead, and before long a soft rumbling of thunder was heard.

 

   “Huh. That’s odd; wasn’t supposed to rain today,” Daria mused, looking up curiously. Adam, who had until then been quiet and calm, let out a low whine and became rather skittish, and Daria ran a hand over his head to try and soothe him, murmuring, “Hey, it’s okay; it’s just a little thunder.”

 

    Instead of calming, Adam let out a high-pitched barking sound and grabbed a hold of the hem of Daria’s blouse with his teeth and tugged on it, clearly wanting her to get up. Slightly unsettled by his behaviour, Daria struggled to her feet and began to make her way back to the house, Adam fidgeting by her as though he wanted to flee but didn’t want to leave her behind. No sooner had they made it into the house, it began to rain heavily, the rumble of thunder and flashes of lightning growing much closer.

 

    “Well, so much for a nice day out,” Daria sighed, standing by the windows on the living room looking outside.

 

    She went over to the sofa, where Adam was crouched down with his ears pressed flat against his head, sat next to him and petted him in an attempt to soothe him. She didn’t understand why the weather was affecting him so much; he had never been bothered by it before. After a while he seemed to calm down a little, no longer trembling under her fingers, and Daria decided to make some lunch. Making her way to the kitchen, she took out of the freezer a packet of meat to defrost for Adam and some fish for herself, taking and washing some potatoes to bake. Once that was done and they had eaten, Daria went back to her workshop, seeing as there wasn’t much else to do. Adam was once again under the table, curled around her feet, twitching slightly whenever thunder sounded, but otherwise was calm.

 

    It was about an hour or so later that Daria realised something was off; the contractions hadn’t left and had been getting progressively longer and stronger. She started timing them and found they were coming closer together, so she figured it was a good enough time to get her bag made up and head to the hospital; as she was going about that, she felt a sudden trickle of liquid flow down her legs, and decided that, yes, it was a good time to go to the hospital after all. Adam had noticed the change in her and become a little antsy, as though he knew she was leaving somewhere he couldn’t follow, and when he noticed her water had broken he began to act downright nervous. Daria grabbed her phone after she had undressed to send her fiancé a quick text informing him to come pick her up, then fished a loose-fitting green dress out of her closet and pulled it on.

 

    Her phone chimed and she picked it back up and frowned once she read the response. “Well, gods forbid I interrupt your meeting by bringing your child into the world,” She muttered irritably.

 

    She dropped her phone into her bag, then walked out of the room and headed to the front door, where Adam followed, whining at her lowly as she pulled it open. She turned back to him, ignoring her contractions for the moment, and bend over slightly, reaching to scratch behind his ear.

 

    “I won’t be gone long, sweetie,” She assured then straightened up as the contraction got worse, wincing and drawing in a sharp breath.

 

    With that, she walked out the door and got into her car, hoping her contractions and the weather wouldn’t interfere too much with her driving.


	2. Chapter 2

    Once he was sure he was alone in the house, Loki shifted back into his usual form, taking a while to get used to standing on two legs after so many months. He hadn’t meant to stay as a wolf for so long, but after Daria had nursed him back to full health, he’d grown surprisingly attached to the woman and was more than a little reluctant to leave her; he figured she wouldn’t be as welcoming if he presented himself in the form that had led an alien army to destroy most of a city. Loki wasn’t sure just how infamous he was to humans for what he’d done, but he was in no particular hurry to find out. The nervousness he had begun to feel at the end of their outing that early noon had not only yet to leave him, it had gotten worse. At first, it had been because he knew exactly what that sudden shift in the weather promised, but now he was worried about Daria. He had known she was due to give birth at any moment but he hadn’t expected it to be _now_ ; and now she was driving, alone and suffering contractions, in the middle of what was looking to become a storm if Thor didn’t calm it the hel down. And all because her useless wretch of a fiancé couldn’t be bothered to leave his work for a few hours; Loki had never liked the man, obvious as it was to him that he didn’t care much for the idea of becoming a father, but this was a new low.

 

    After a moment of pacing, Loki made a decision and walked out of the house; shifting into a large black bird and flying off in the direction he had seen Daria driving towards, taking care to cast a shield upon himself to ward off the rain at least somewhat.

 

    He hadn’t been flying for very long, when he was almost struck by a bolt of lightning, causing him to veer off to the side and practically crash onto the ground by the side of the road, shifting back to himself just before landing and looking around to find the source of the attack. Looking up, he jumped backwards just in time to evade Thor’s landing; the ground cracked under the force of Mjolnir, and Loki wondered briefly if Thor had considered what that would have done to him, or if perhaps it had been his intention all along.

 

    “LOKI!” Thor bellowed as he straightened up, looking none too pleased.

 

    “Well, it’s nice to know you haven’t forgotten my name, brother,” Loki remarked lightly, burying his true feelings within himself expertly, as always.

 

    “Hold your tongue; I’m in no gaming mood,” Thor warned, taking a step forward.

 

    “Pity, but I missed the part where that means something to me,” Loki smirked. “Would you mind terribly stopping all this? You’re making the weatherman look bad,” He added conversationally, gesturing to the sky around them.

 

    “Loki, whatever you have been doing, it stops now,” Thor declared, continuing his approach, “I am taking you home.”

 

    “What I have been doing? I have simply been enjoying a little fresh air; it’s not nice to keep your pets in a cage,” Loki replied with underlying bitterness.

 

    At the subtle viciousness in Loki’s tone, Thor paused in his advance. “You are no pet.”

 

    Loki barked a humourless laugh. “What else would you call Odin’s living trophy?” He spat.

 

    “I would call you brother, for that is what you are,” Thor replied easily.

 

    “Spare me your shallow sentimentality, Thor; if you were my brother, we would not be here,” Loki said coldly.

 

    Thor’s expression flashed guilt, then anger. “Aye, I have made mistakes, but I was not the only one,” He said, “And I have tried to right my wrongs by you; you have not made it easy.”

 

    “Easy? _Easy?!_ Why should it be easy for _you_ when you have put me through Hel??” Loki yelled, losing his composure. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. “I may be a lie, Odinson, but your indifference was not,” He added in a venomous tone.

 

    Thor looked away in shame, knowing there was truth in Loki’s words; he never intended any malice towards his brother, but in hindsight he was often careless in how he treated him. He knew very well now the part he had played in creating the man that Loki had become. All the same, he wasn’t going to let his remorse interfere with his role as protector of the realms.

 

    With that in mind, Thor looked back up at Loki. “Loki, I am sorry for what I have done to you, but it does not change what _you_ have done and that you must serve punishment for it.”

 

    “You’ll have to catch me first, _brother,”_ Loki sneered, spreading his arms out wide in challenge.

 

    “So be it,” Thor responded, tightening his grip on Mjolnir and rushing at Loki. Instead of striking Loki, Thor found himself going right through him, and mentally cursed himself for falling for that trick _again_.

 

    “Are you _ever_ not going to fall for that?” The real Loki echoed then turned and, shifting back into a wolf, rushed off to his intended destination; to throw off pursuit, he also created several copies of himself, all running off in different directions, leaving Thor to decide which to risk going after.

 

 

    In hindsight, driving in the middle of a spontaneous thunderstorm while going into labour may not have been one of Daria’s brighter ideas; she had just been so upset at her fiancé that she acted on impulse, as she usually did. She really needed to work on her temper, preferably _before_ it got her killed.

 

    “Should’ve called an ambulance, genius,” She chastised herself through gritted teeth, gripping the wheel tightly as she breathed through another contraction.

 

    She couldn’t see very far through the rain, which caused her to almost miss the animal (a deer, she later thought) that suddenly rushed onto the road in front of her; with a startled cry, she slammed on the brakes, but the wet road caused her car to swerve dangerously. Wrapping an arm around her stomach, Daria thought about her baby, and Adam. What would happen to him with her gone? Her fiancé had never liked him, after all; he wouldn’t hesitate to throw him out, or worse. She closed her eyes and prepared for the worst as the car screeched to a halt...

 

    Nothing happened.

 

    Daria waited for a moment or two then slowly opened her eyes; the car had stopped - just _stopped_ \- for no apparent reason that she could see. For a second, she thought she saw a greenish glow about her, but it was gone as soon as she blinked, so she dismissed it as a trick of her mind. Another contraction tore through her and she sucked in a sharp breath then let it out slowly; once it passed she grabbed the wheel again and drove on, silently thanking whoever was looking out for her.

 

 

    Loki had been through many scares in his centuries of living, but few of those compared to how his heart leapt to his throat when he saw Daria’s car swerving across the road; with no thought to the consequences should he be seen, he shifted back to himself and threw his hand out, using his seidr to bring the car to a sudden halt. He stood there panting for a moment, making sure the immediate danger had passed, then sighed with relief when the car began to move again.

 

    In his panic, Loki failed to realise he had diverted all his attention to Daria, costing him the clones he had made to distract Thor; he turned around in time to feel the weight of Mjolnir slam into his midsection, knocking him back painfully, before it was recalled back to Thor’s waiting hand.

 

    “Loki, enough of this; surrender yourself and come home!” Thor’s voice boomed as he approached his brother, who was struggling slightly to his feet.

 

    “Your home, not mine; never mine!” Loki spat, hurtling a burst of energy at him.

 

    Thor blocked the attack, though it did knock him back a few steps, then rushed at Loki again; hammer was met with a svärdstav Loki conjured at the last moment. Using Thor’s own momentum against him, Loki twisted out of the way, slamming the butt of his weapon against the back of Thor’s knee causing him to stagger forward and almost fall. As Thor turned around, Loki moved back and swung the blade at him, catching his cheek with a shallow cut as Thor evaded the worst of it.

 

    “It was always your home!” Thor yelled back, swinging another attack that was evaded, “Before Jötunheim!”

 

    “And whose fault was that?!” Loki raged, stabbing forward, only to be sidestepped.

 

    “You goaded me into it!” Thor replied, knocking Loki back with a blow to his shoulder, earning an angry growl.

 

    _“It was never supposed to go that far!!”_ Loki screamed back.

 

    Thor stopped his advance, looking at his brother in shock. “What do you mean?”

 

    Loki looked just as surprised himself, as though he hadn’t meant to say that, then looked off to the side. “It no longer matters.” He replied in a clipped tone.

 

    “It does,” Thor insisted.

 

    Loki looked back at him and opened his mouth to reply, but no words came; a moment later his eyes widened slightly and he turned back to the road Daria had driven down. He turned back to Thor just as the Thunderer was about to ask what was the matter then quite suddenly drove his weapon blade-first into the ground before him, creating a shockwave that knocked Thor back before entrapping him in a block of ice that left only his torso and head free.

 

    “Apologies, brother, but I have somewhere to be,” Loki said, vanishing his weapon, before shifting into a wolf and rushing off down the road, leaving a confused and angry Thor behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't know what a svärdstav is, it literally translates to 'sword-staff', which I think is pretty straightforward.


	3. Chapter 3

    Daria was not having fun.

 

    In fact, that might have been the understatement of the century. Truth told; she was in the south end of misery and looking at an extended stay. When she had finally arrived at the hospital, her contractions had gotten so strong and were coming so close together, it took a while before she was able to step out of the car, not to mention enter the building. She had been taken into the delivery room after insisting on filling out the paperwork herself, since she had no idea when her fiancé would get there (assuming he came at all); now she lay there on the hospital bed, breathing through contractions and gripping the sides of the bed so tightly her fingers hurt, as she waited until she had fully dilated.

 

    As she reached eight centimetres, Daria tightened her hold on the bed so much her fingers began to grow numb, squeezing her eyes shut and praying to whatever god would listen that this would just be over quickly. Her mind wandered to Adam, wishing he was with her against all logic; he always managed to ease her whenever she was upset or unwell, and she could seriously use that comfort _right fucking NOW_.

 

    A nurse had turned to her and told her she was just about there, when the doors opened and a tall, pale, raven-haired man walked into the room and came to her side; without a word he offered his hand to her, and Daria released the bed and gripped it without hesitation, despite not knowing who the hell he was. At this point, the Horned God himself could walk in and she wouldn’t so much as bat an eye. As another contraction tore through her, the nurse told Daria to push, and she gritted her teeth and tightened her hold on the stranger’s hand, willing herself to do just that.

 

    And so went the next ten hours.

 

 

    It took a while for Thor to escape the ice that trapped him, enchanted as it was for that specific purpose, but eventually he was free and he looked in the direction Loki had gone; his brother’s words still echoed in his mind, both his clearly unintended confession revolving around their ill-fated excursion to Jötunheim that seemed like a lifetime ago, and his declaration that he had somewhere to be. He wondered what Loki had meant by that; his expression just before he had left had been worried, Thor might’ve even said scared. But for whom, and why? Just what was the trickster up to?

 

    Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Thor decided he would ask the man himself and, whirling Mjolnir rapidly, he shot off into the sky to look for him.

 

 

    As soon as the baby was finally out of Daria’s womb, Loki released her hand and left the room quietly, rubbing the feeling back into the hand he had offered her with his other; he had to hand it to her, for such a relatively small and delicate-looking creature, she had quite the grip. He knew it was a risk, coming to her as himself and not the form she knew, but when he heard her calling for him (or rather, the name she had given his wolf self) all reason fled, to be replaced by an intense need to protect or at least soothe her. He found an empty room and proceeded to collapse onto the bed in it; the last ten hours after his arrival had been spent shielding his presence from all who sought him and transferring quantities of his energy to Daria to ease her delivery some, and he was downright exhausted.

 

    Loki wasn’t sure exactly when he had fallen asleep, but he suddenly started awake, blinking his eyes to clear his vision and wondering briefly where he was. His eyes then drifted to a familiar form sitting in a chair by the bed; Daria was eyeing him curiously, still in the hospital gown she had been given, the little bundle that was her baby (a pink blanket, Loki noted) fast asleep in her arms.

 

    “I wanted to thank you,” She began, softly, so as to not wake the baby, “And to ask: Who exactly are you?”

 

    Loki sat up slowly, wincing slightly at the soreness of his muscles from the exertion of both his fight with Thor and his race to the hospital, and swung his legs over the side of the bed, facing her. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees and eyed her intently. “You know who I am, Daria. More or less,” He replied just as quietly.

 

    Daria raised an eyebrow when he said her name, then narrowed her eyes, studying him, only for them to widen in surprise as she reached a conclusion.

 

    _“Adam?”_ She asked in disbelief. Loki nodded his head in confirmation, and Daria’s expression changed to one of confusion. “But, how...? Who _are_ you? _What_ are you?”

 

    Loki was reluctant to reply, unsure if he was ready to face whatever her reaction might be to the truth; he doubted in would be a pleasant one. After a moment’s hesitation he took a subtle, steadying breath and steeled his nerves.

 

    “I am Loki of As-...” He began, out of habit, before he stopped himself abruptly. He looked to the side briefly before turning back to Daria and continuing, “Well, it doesn’t matter. I am, obviously, not human, and that is as specific as I wish to get at present. But know that I mean you and your child no harm.”

 

    “Good to know,” Daria commented, earning a slight upwards tilt of a corner of his lips that she wasn’t sure she actually saw. She looked down at her child for a moment then back up at him. “So, is there any particular reason you made yourself at home in my house for the last nine months?”

 

    “At first; necessity and convenience,” Loki replied. She eyed him questioningly, and so he continued, “You see, I’m not exactly supposed to be walking freely; least of all in this realm.”

 

    Daria hummed. “And later?”

 

    Loki clasped his hands together and looked at them, considering his words carefully; after a while he shrugged and looked back at her, deciding to just go with the truth and hope for the best.

 

    “In short; I got attached,” He said and waited for her reaction.

 

    For a moment Daria just stared at him and he began to worry, wondering if he should have lied at least a little; then she blinked a few times and looked at him oddly. “You... got attached...” She repeated. Loki nodded nervously. “To me...”

 

    Loki nodded again and she looked down, brows furrowed as she tried to understand. Loki looked away and fidgeted slightly, more convinced than ever that he had made a mistake; then he turned to her again and sought to spare himself further humiliation.

 

    “I am aware that this is... _odd_... You need only say the word and I will leave you be; you never have to see me again,” He said with no small degree of difficulty.

 

    Daria looked back up and eyed him thoughtfully as the baby in her arms began to stir then seemed to reach a decision. Loki braced himself as she opened her mouth to speak, but her words caught him completely by surprise.

 

    “Would you like to hold her?” Daria asked with a half-smile, lifting the waking bundle in her arms slightly.

 

    Loki blinked. “I-I’m sorry?” He stammered.

 

    Daria laughed lightly then stood. “The baby, silly; do you want to hold her?”

 

    For a moment Loki didn’t move, merely stared at her as though she had spoken in a language he didn’t understand; then slowly he stood up off the bed and hesitantly raised his arms to accept her offer. Daria stepped closer towards him and carefully handed him the now fully awake baby, making sure he was holding her like the nurse had taught her a few hours ago.

 

    Loki gazed down at the little one in his arms for a long while, taking in how her wide-open baby-blue eyes looked back at him, no doubt trying to distinguish this new shadow in her vision; he looked back at Daria, who was watching him with a warm smile. “Does she have a name yet?”

 

    Daria nodded. “Miruna; her name is Miruna Lupei.”

 

    Loki arched an eyebrow. “Not her father’s name?” He asked carefully.

 

    “She doesn’t have one,” Daria replied slightly bitterly. Loki tilted his head to the side slightly and looked at her questioningly. Daria sighed and added, “It’s over between us; whatever it was we had. I guess I got sick of pretending it could actually work.”

 

    “I would say that I’m sorry, but I am truly not; he did not deserve you,” Loki said, “And the fact that you called to me, such as it was, and not him in your time of need tells me that at least deep down, you knew that.”

 

    Daria bit her bottom lip. “Yeah, I guess I did,” She conceded.

 

    “Why were you even with him in the first place?” Loki asked what he had been wondering for months, now that he finally could.

 

    “Habit,” Daria replied with a shrug, “When we met, I was lonely and he was there; it wasn’t much, but it was something. Later, I just didn’t care enough to leave.”

 

    “And now you do?” Loki asked rather knowingly, looking back down at Miruna, who was reaching up to him, and slipping a finger into one of her eager hands.

 

    “And now I do,” Daria echoed; wrapping a finger around her daughter’s other hand with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

    An hour later, Daria had returned to the room she had been transferred to after delivery at the request of a nurse that had found them; Loki had followed her, returning the baby to her when she began to fuss slightly from hunger and sitting down on a chair by the bed.

 

    “May I ask what happened?” Loki asked Daria after a while of silence, watching her feed Miruna with a rather fascinated expression.

 

    Daria bit her lips together then looked at him. “I called him after, asked him when was coming by; he told me he was busy and could _maybe_ spare a few minutes before his lunch meeting. We argued, and I told him that if he didn’t come to see his daughter within the next hour, to not bother showing up at all.”

 

    Loki looked up at her face sympathetically. “I take it his response to that was less than favourable.”

 

    “He said it was fine; he didn’t want the kid anyway,” Daria replied then huffed a humourless laugh, “I told him to take that time before his meeting, get his stuff together, and get the fuck out of my house.”

 

    “Good,” Loki remarked with a viciousness to his tone that somewhat surprised her.

 

   “He didn’t think I was serious; said I was just being ridiculous. I told him if he wasn’t gone by the time I got home, I’d sic _you_ on him,” Daria added then blinked, “Well... _Adam_ , anyway...”

 

    “I understand,” Loki laughed lightly then smirked, “And I would be more than happy to deal with him.”

 

    Daria smiled then moved Miruna to her other breast and simply looked at her as she resumed her suckling, pure adoration in her eyes. After a while, she spoke again. “You know; I thought I’d be upset,” She said softly, “I thought it would hurt. I stayed with him because I thought it was better than being alone, but now that it’s over... I don’t feel much. I’m angry, of course, but... nothing else.”

 

    “Likely because you didn’t love him,” Loki suggested then leaned forward in his seat and placed a hand on her knee, “And you are not alone; you have a child to look after, and...” He trailed off, suddenly unsure if he should finish the thought, or if maybe that was too presumptuous.

 

    “And you?” Daria finished for him.

 

    “... If you wish it,” Loki said hesitantly.

 

    Daria looked thoughtful for a moment then smiled slightly. “I do.”

 

 

    Thor had been searching for hours, all night and well into the morning, but he seemed no closer to finding where Loki had gone; the rune he had been given to locate him had lead him into town, but after that the trail seemed to disappear, which told him Loki had figured out how he had found him in the first place and took steps to avoid it happening again. After a while, Thor decided that rest and nourishment would do him well and then he could continue his search. He would find Loki eventually, he knew; even as powerful and skilled a seidr-wielder as his brother was, he couldn’t hide forever.

 

    Before he managed to drift off to sleep in the room he had acquired, his thoughts went back to what Loki had said about Jötunheim; how it ‘wasn’t supposed to go that far’. What had he meant by that? And just how far _had_ he intended for it to go?

 

    _You and your plans, brother._ He thought with a tired sigh then finally sleep claimed him.

 

 

    Daria returned home, with Loki in the passenger’s seat and Miruna in a carrier the former had been kind enough to get her in the back seat, half expecting to find her ex-fiancé’s car in the driveway, but to her (very pleasant) surprise, it was empty; still she didn’t get her hopes up too much, not until she walked into her bedroom to find most of his things gone. Once she confirmed the he seemed to have actually taken her seriously, she breathed a sigh of relief; she wasn’t exactly looking forward to seeing him anytime soon, or ever if she was being honest.

 

    She went into the nursery, which she had during her pregnancy painstakingly decorated in reds, greys and silver with all of the carved wooden furniture painted black, and found Loki standing over the crib staring at Miruna in wonder.

 

    “One would think she was yours, the way you stare at her,” Daria commented lightly, leaning against the doorframe, causing Loki to look up her with a rather startled expression. She smiled amusedly at him and he hastily looked away with what she could have sworn was a slight blush. Daria laughed a bit. “Remember when she first kicked?”

 

    Loki hummed, looking back at the baby staring up at him sleepily. “It was late and we had the house to ourselves; you didn’t want to sleep alone and let me join you.”

 

    Daria walked further into the room and stood next to him, gazing at her daughter lovingly. “I’d rolled over onto my back and you took the opportunity to use me for a pillow.”

 

    “Well, it was only fair; how often have you done the same?” Loki retorted with a chuckle. “I had just managed to doze off when this little creature here thought it appropriate to kick my eye.”

 

    “You were so surprised,” Daria giggled, looking up at him, “More than I was.”

 

    “In my defence, you had already been feeling her move within you for weeks; it was a first for me,” Loki huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

    “It was adorable, really,” Daria quipped. Loki glared at her and she laughed. “Oh, don’t be bitter; I haven’t forgotten about the paint incident, you know.”

 

    Loki buried his face in his palm with a deep sigh. “I knew that wasn’t going to go away,” He muttered.

 

    “Nope!” Daria confirmed cheerfully.

 

 

    After a lunch comprised of the first cooked meal Loki had eaten in all the time he had been living there, Daria had received a text from her ex telling her that he would come by in a few hours for the rest of his things, assuming she was still serious about splitting; she had replied in no gentle tones the she was, in fact, very fucking serious and that if he bailed in the hopes that more time would change her mind, she would burn it all. At the agreed hour (almost to the minute, Daria noted), they heard the front door opening and Loki, who had been sitting next to Daria on the couch in the living room as they chatted, quickly shifted into his wolf form, startling her, much to his amusement. Footsteps grew louder, until finally the last person Daria wanted to see was standing in the entrance to the room.

 

    “Daria,” He greeted, walking further into the room.

 

    “Henrik,” Daria responded shortly.

 

    “I noticed there aren’t any bonfires,” He commented with a smug smile, “Lost your nerve?”

 

    “There’s still time,” She warned, balling her hands into tight fists on her lap; Loki tensing besides her.

 

    “Come on, Daria; we both know you’re not gonna go through with this,” Henrik began condescendingly, “Now, I’m willing to forgive and forget this nonsense because you’re just emotional from all the hormones. What are you gonna do if I leave, huh? You can’t be alone, that’s not how you work. You need me; no one else is gonna put up with you, and you know it.”

 

    It took all of Loki’s self-control not to leap at the miserable excuse of a man before him, especially when Daria lowered her head with tears in her eyes, but somehow he managed it; he did, however, begin to growl lowly, sitting up and bearing his teeth in warning. He had seen this kind of thing happen before, and now that he had revealed himself to Daria, he saw no reason to hold back on intervening. It was more than enough, as he saw Henrik’s eyes widen in fear and he took a few steps back.

 

    _Coward._ Loki thought with a louder growl. _Preying on the broken; pretending you are strong when you are nothing._

 

    “You need to put a leash on that thing,” Henrik told Daria, who had looked up and was looking at Loki in surprise.

 

    Loki snarled at him, and Daria looked over. “Get out,” She said.

 

    _“What?”_ Henrik asked, looking at her like she’d gone mad.

 

    “Get out,” Daria repeated, seeming surprised by her own words, “Now.”

 

    “You can’t kick me out of my own house!” Henrik exclaimed, taking a step towards her.

 

    Loki snarled again, standing up and getting off the couch and Henrik took a few hasty steps back. Daria stood up and raised her head high, determination in her eyes as Loki’s actions filled her with confidence.

 

    “No. This is _my_ house,” She said firmly, “And I want you gone _now_. You are going to get your things and walk right back to that door; you are going to leave the key, and then you’re going to get out and never come back.”

 

 

    As soon as Henrik was gone, Daria let out a long sigh and collapse backwards onto the couch feeling drained. Loki had shifted back and sat next to her, taking one of her hands in his own and rubbing slow circles on the back of it with his thumb.

 

    “I’m proud of you,” He said softly, “I only wish you had done that sooner.”

 

    “I didn’t know I had it in me,” Daria said, voice barely above a whisper.

 

    “I did,” Loki replied.

 

    For a long while, neither of them said anything more; then Daria broke the silence. “What do I do now?”

 

    Loki gently grasped her chin and turned her face towards him. “Now, you pick yourself up and become what you are meant to be,” He replied sternly.


	5. Chapter 5

_Loki slowly reached out to the Casket of Ancient Winters and grasped the handles on either side of it, causing it to hum lowly. Hesitantly, he lifted it before him off its pedestal; as he did, a blueness began to spread over his fingers._

_“Stop!” Odin called from behind him._

_“Am I cursed?” Loki asked, managing to keep his voice somewhat calmer than he felt._

_“No,” Odin replied, and Loki set the Casket back upon its pedestal._

_“What am I?” Loki asked, unsure of how much he actually wanted an answer, but he had to know._

_“You’re my son,” Odin replied simply._

_It was not enough._

_Loki turned, the blueness that had consumed his body slowly fading to make way for its accustomed colour as he stared at his father. “What more than that?” He asked firmly._

_Odin didn't answer and Loki began to walk towards him, beginning to realize the truth._

_“The Casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jötunheim that day, was it?” He asked, now truly dreading the answer._

_Odin looked him in the eye as he reached the bottom of the stairs he still stood on, knowing that he could deny it no longer. “No. In the aftermath of the battle, I went into the Temple, and I found a baby. Small for a giant's offspring; abandoned, suffering, left to die. Laufey's son.”_

_Loki was shocked by the revelation; he had imagined the truth to be terrible judging by the look on Odin’s face, but he never expected_ that _. How could he?_

_“Laufey’s son...” Loki repeated softly, struggling to make sense of it all even as he tried to keep himself in denial._

_He looked up at Odin, who shattered the tentative illusion by replying, “Yes.”_

_“Why?” Loki asked desperately, abandoning denial for the need to understand, “You were knee-deep in jötunn blood. Why would you take me?”_

_“You were an innocent child,” Odin replied._

_“No,” Loki denied, not believing that reasoning for a second; he knew him too well for that, “You took me for a purpose; what was it?”_

_Again Odin didn’t answer, and Loki felt a stab of anger cutting through his desperation and betrayal. How dare he? How_ dare _he_ still _hold back, when Loki’s entire world was falling apart?_

_“TELL ME!” Loki screamed, no longer caring if anyone else could hear him, if he sounded as weak and vulnerable as he felt._

_He needed to_ know _._

_“I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day, bring about an alliance, bring about a permanent peace... through you,” Odin finally replied, and Loki’s face contorted more with pain and disbelief with every word._

_“What..?” Loki breathed pitifully, his voice barely audible._

_“But those plans no longer matter,” Odin finished, and the last remnants of Loki’s heart finally shattered as he heard the confirmation of what he had only suspected until now._

_He_ was _utterly worthless after all._

 

    Loki woke with a start and looked around him, disoriented, until he realised he was in the guestroom of Daria’s house. He fell back onto the bed, running a hand over his face with a sigh; he hadn’t dreamt about that day, or thought of it for that matter, in quite some time. He figured it had to have been his ‘conversation’ with Thor that brought in on. After all, what else could it be?

 

    _Damn you._ Loki thought bitterly, though he wasn’t sure just _who_ it was directed at. It didn’t matter; in the end, it was all the same.

 

    After a moment, he realised he was not alone; he looked over to the door to find Daria leaning against the frame in her nightgown (the dark purple one that was his favourite, it really brought out her eyes) with a thoughtful look on her face, even as her eyes were slightly heavy with sleep.

 

    “Now that I know you could actually answer me; can I ask what it is you dream of?” She asked quietly.

 

    Loki looked away. “It doesn’t matter.”

 

    “So a memory, then?” Daria concluded, and Loki looked back at her, somewhat surprised. She laughed lightly and walked into the room; Loki sat up and brought his knees up to his chest, crossing his arms over them, and Daria sat down facing him on the edge of the bed. “You’re hardly the only one with a past you’d rather ignore.”

 

    Loki nodded, conceding her point. “True enough.”

 

    Daria reached over and placed her hand over one of his. “I won’t ask you to tell me; just know that you can.”

 

    Loki placed his other hand over hers and locked their gazes; choosing to convey his gratitude for the offer by his expression as he didn’t trust his voice.

 

 

    Thor stood at the entrance of a side road, staring up the somewhat winding path leading up to a two-story house in the distance; the rune had picked up a trace late into the night, but it was faint. Nevertheless, he followed it, the trip taking the rest of the night and part of the morning, to where he presently stood. He debated whether or not he should investigate; Loki might not be there, or it could be a trap. One never knew with the God of Mischief. After a minute of consideration Thor decided to take his chances and began walking towards the house. He couldn’t fail in his task. He had to bring Loki back, for both their sakes. When he was a few feet away from the front door, the rune in his hand suddenly warmed considerably, and Thor grabbed his hammer from its belt and resumed walking with renewed purpose.

 

 

    Loki had been standing over Miruna, smiling as she grasped locks of his hair in her tiny fists, when he suddenly went completely rigid and his eyes widened slightly in fear.

 

    He sat up straight and turned to Daria, who had been watching them interact. “Daria, take Miruna to the nursery and stay there,” He said in a worried tone.

 

    “Why? What’s wrong?” Daria asked, standing up and picking her daughter up regardless.

 

    “I’ve been found,” Loki replied, “Go!”

 

    With a nod Daria hurried to do as he asked, and was halfway to the stairs, when the front door was blown right off its hinges, crashing into the wall at the other end of the room loudly; she let out a startled shriek and hugged a now crying Miruna closer to her chest.

 

    Loki wasted no time going in for the attack, rushing at Thor and tackling him to the ground back outside the house; Thor shoved him off and they quickly got back to their feet. Loki ran at Thor again and dodged under his responding swing, conjuring five copies of himself and blending into them as they surrounded Thor a few paces away; Thor looked around him at the smirking faces of his brother, trying to find the real one.

 

    “Brother, you are only making it worse for yourself; just come back home,” Thor said; attacking one of the Lokis at random, only to fall through him as the illusion disappeared.

 

    “Come, _brother_ ; I thought you enjoyed a challenge,” All of them taunted Thor in unison, giving him no clue as to which was the real Loki. Thor growled and attacked another one, finding it to be another illusion. Before he could turn to the next, he felt a sharp pain pierce his lower back as the real Loki stabbed him with his dagger. “I told you; I have no home,” He spat viciously.

 

    Thor stumbled forward, wincing in pain, then turned around faster than Loki could react and knocked him back with a blow to his chest. Ignoring the pain, Loki used the momentum as he hit the ground to roll back, ending in a crouch, and threw the dagger at Thor, managing to embed it in his shoulder.

 

 

    Daria watched from the kitchen window as the two fought; she had no idea who the blond was, but clearly Loki did and he wasn’t very happy for his presence. Miruna was still wailing in her arms despite her attempts to calm her, likely because she was not calm herself. She was scared, for Loki, for her daughter, for herself; she was terrified, actually. She gasped as Loki was knocked to the ground about two feet away from the window she stood at; he looked over and his eyes widened when he saw she was there.

 

 

    Thor was about to grab Loki off the ground when he noticed the latter wasn’t even looking at him. He followed his gaze to find a woman standing behind a window; she was holding what was unmistakably an infant in her arms and was looking at Loki with a terrified expression. Thor began to walk over, intending to assure her Loki was no longer a threat and that she was safe, and she took a few quick steps back; it was then he realised she hadn’t been looking at his brother.

 

    She was looking at _him_. She was scared of _him_.


	6. Chapter 6

    As Loki gathered his strength enough to shift into a wolf and pounce upon Thor’s back, furthering the man’s surprise as they went down, he wondered just what possessed him to do so; he knew perfectly well Thor wouldn’t hurt Daria or Miruna, after all. He couldn’t quite explain it, but when he saw Daria backing away, the fear on her face, something snapped within him and his only instinct was to get in the way of her and the thing that had scared her. He had to keep her safe; it was all that mattered. Thor knocked him back, and Loki yelped in pain as Mjolnir collided with his ribcage, feeling something snapping under the force of the blow.

 

    Hearing his brother cry out gave Thor pause; he hadn’t meant to hit him that hard, and as Loki shifted back and wrapped an arm around his midsection, gasping for breath, he knew he’d done a fair bit of damage. Thor rushed over to Loki’s side, a flash of guilt stabbing through him when the downed trickster tried to back away, and knelt by him.

 

    “You fool! Why did you do that??” Thor asked, hesitating to actually touch him for fear of making things worse.

 

    “Stay... away...” Loki said with difficulty.

 

    “I’m trying to help you!” Thor replied, misunderstanding Loki’s concern.

 

    “From _them,”_ Loki finished saying then pain won over and he passed out, barely registering his now thoroughly bewildered brother calling his name.

 

 

    Daria had never felt such fear in her life; not even when she had fallen into a lake as a child and almost drowned before anyone had even noticed she was in trouble. When the stranger had turned and began walking towards her, she had backed away on instinct; she didn’t know if he would hurt her or her baby, but after seeing what he’d done to Loki, she wasn’t too eager to find out. And then she had seen how Loki had leapt on his back and what happened after, and she had reacted just as instinctually; she had hurriedly set Miruna down in the car seat she had left on the kitchen counter when they had gotten back from the hospital and rushed outside.

 

 

    Thor was calling to his brother worriedly as he lost consciousness, when he noticed movement on his peripheral vision and looked up to see the woman he had been moving towards running over to them. She stopped short three feet away from them when he raised his head in her direction and stood there; seemingly conflicted. He still couldn’t understand why she was afraid of him, though the way she looked at Loki told him she clearly knew him, and his first thought was that Loki had mentioned him and likely told her he was dangerous; it was the only thing that made sense to him.

 

    Slipping Mjolnir back onto his belt, Thor turned to face the woman more fully, raising his hands in a non-threating gesture, and attempted to reassure her. “I assure you, my lady, I mean you and your child no harm; I am merely here for my brother.”

 

    Instead of calming her, his words seemed to have the opposite effect, and she looked at him with an utterly horrified expression. “Your _brother??”_ She cried, her voice sounding slightly shrill, “You could have killed him!”

 

    “I was not...” Thor began indignantly then stopped and looked back down at Loki. While the fight had left both of them quite battered, Loki was clearly the worst off; he could see how she might think that. Looking back up at the woman, Thor spoke earnestly, “I swear to you, I did not mean for this. Is there somewhere I can place him to rest, so that I may tend to him?”

 

    The woman looked back at him uncertainly then over at Loki worriedly; after a moment she seemed to make up her mind and nodded at him, turning and walking back to the house. Thor carefully picked Loki up in his arms and followed her. Once inside the house, the woman directed Thor towards a couch and he set Loki down upon it as she went to see to her baby.

 

 

    Daria walked back into the living room after calming, feeding, and putting Miruna to sleep to find Loki’s apparent brother kneeling by his side; he had removed Loki’s shirt and was rubbing something on the bruised area over his most definitely broken ribs, and as she looked on, the bruise began to fade until it completely disappeared.

 

    “How did you...?” She began to ask then trailed off, not exactly sure how to finish the question.

 

    “Healing stone,” The stranger replied, getting the gist of her words. He stood and took a few steps towards her, stopping when she countered with as many steps back. “I know not what you have been told of me, but I swear to you I truly mean you no harm.”

 

    “I haven’t been _told_ anything,” Daria responded, “But you show up here out of nowhere, _break my door down_ and _attack_ my friend. What exactly am I supposed to think?”

 

    The man looked down for a moment then back up at her apologetically. “I’m... sorry. I can see now how my actions could leave a poor impression. But you have no idea how dangerous my brother is.”

 

    “Probably not; then again, you’re not the one lying unconscious, are you?” Daria retorted, crossing her arms at her chest.

 

    “Fair enough,” The man nodded in acquiescence, “I am Thor, of Asgard.”

 

    “Asgard? So _that’s_ what he was gonna say...” Daria said, more to herself than her present company. The man, Thor, sent her a curious look. “Never mind. I’m Daria.”

 

    “Daria. Well met. Or... well...” Thor trailed off, bowing his head guiltily.

 

    “Tell you what; fix my door, we’ll call it even,” Daria offered.

 

    “Of course,” Thor replied quickly, eager to make amends. Besides him, Loki stirred slightly, and Daria looked over at him, concern filling her features. He looked between the two, then asked her, “Tell me, Daria; what exactly is your relationship with my brother?”

 

    Daria looked back at him. “I told you, he’s my friend.”

 

    “Merely a friend?” He pressed.

 

    _“Yes,”_ She replied, clearly becoming annoyed at his insistence.

 

    Thor raised his hands in surrender then looked back at Loki curiously. “He seems to care for you a great deal. And your child.”

 

    “I know he does,” Daria said, looking back at Loki fondly.

 

    “Enough to risk great injury over you,” Thor added, looking back up at her. Daria looked at him questioningly and he explained, “The last words he spoke before losing consciousness were to stay away from you and your babe.”

 

    Daria looked at Loki in surprise then guilt, and she took a few steps forward before stopping abruptly and looking back at Thor warily, clearly still not comfortable getting near him. Thor stood back, understanding of her caution, and she continued walking; she kneeled next to Loki and placed her hand on his cheek, running her thumb along his cheekbone slowly.

 

 

    The first thing Loki noticed when he began to awaken was that he didn’t hurt nearly as much as he should given the aftermath of the fight, the second was that he was lying on something far too comfortable to be the ground outside, and finally he noticed a warmth upon his cheek and a feeling reminiscent of skin. He opened his eyes slightly to find familiar yellow orbs staring back at him, filled with concern that quickly turned to relief. He opened his eyes fully and, upon seeing Thor standing on the far side of the room behind Daria, got up quickly, pulling her with him by the same hand that had been on his cheek, and stood between them.

 

    “Are you alright?” He asked Daria, not taking his eyes off Thor.

 

    “Hardly,” She replied, “But I’m not hurt.”

 

    “Loki, do you truly believe I would harm her?” Thor asked, clearly offended by the suggestion.

 

    “I have believed many things; not all of them have turned out to be true,” Loki replied bitterly.

 

    “I am protector of this realm, and all others; I would not harm an innocent within them, much less a mother and child,” Thor said firmly, “Now, I don’t know what your involvement is with her, but it ends now; we will return to Asgard and you will face punishment for your crimes.”

 

    “ _My_ crimes? Funny how mine seem to be the only ones worth mentioning,” Loki spat. Daria tried to interject, but Loki continued, not noticing. “But of course; what wrong could _Perfect Thor_ do? You do a tiny amount of good and all you break is ignored.”

 

    “‘A tiny amount of good’?” Thor repeated angrily, ignoring Daria’s second attempt to intervene, “I have protected the realms!”

 

    “From the mess you caused by your own idiocy!” Loki retorted, shaking off Daria’s hand as she placed it on his arm to try and calm him, “Who was it that broke the peace treaty with Jötunheim to soothe his pride?”

 

    “You led me to that!” Thor accused loudly.

 

    Daria threw her hands up in frustration when she heard Miruna start crying through the baby monitor nearby, something that was missed by the other two in the midst of their arguing.

 

    “I did not!!” Loki yelled back, “I wanted you to defy Odin to get you into more trouble, not for you to spark a bloody war and cost me everything!”

 

    Thor was about to reply, but Daria stepped out from behind Loki to stand between them. “Will you both _shut the fuck up!”_ She yelled.


	7. Chapter 7

    A heavy silence had fallen on the room as Thor and Loki sat there uncomfortably, waiting for Daria to return from putting the baby to sleep _again_. She had surprised both of them with her outburst and they felt more than a little guilty about their part in causing it, Loki in particular. The last thing he ever wanted to do was to upset her; he took great pride in knowing he was a source of comfort for her, and would sooner die than lose that.

 

    That realisation gave him pause.

 

    _When did_ that _happen?_ He thought bemusedly. He’d known for quite some time he cared deeply for her, but that was... new.

 

    It had been a while since he had measured the worth of his life based on another’s opinion of him, and the last time he’d done _that_... He still shuddered to think about it. But this felt different; it felt _right_ , somehow. Not for the first time, Loki wondered if maybe he _was_ in love with Daria after all. The only other person he had ever felt this deep an affection for was Frigga, but this felt different. What else could it be? As Daria walked back into the room, Loki shook his head slightly, trying to clear his thoughts so he could focus on how to make things up to her and keep Thor from screwing things up any worse.

 

    The irony of that did not escape his notice.

 

    “Explain,” Daria said as she stood in front of them, arms crossed at her chest and a stern look on her face. Thor began to speak, but she quickly snapped, “I wasn’t talking to you.”

 

    Thor shut his mouth and Loki had to look down to conceal the smirk that he failed to supress despite his best effort. Not that he was sorry Thor got shot down, of course; he just didn’t want to turn Daria’s anger on himself. He was quite happy with where it was, thank you.

 

    Once he was sure he could maintain a straight face, he looked up at Daria’s expectant expression. “Where should I begin?”

   

    “Not particularly picky,” She replied.

 

    “I see. Well, you may want to sit; it’s a rather long story,” Loki said.

 

 

    Daria had to hand it to him; Loki knew how to tell a story. After a quick explanation of the war between Asgard and Jötunheim (Thor had been surprised she even knew the names of Yggdrasil’s realms, but the look he’d received when he voiced it had been enough for him to keep further thoughts to himself), and the shaky peace Asgard’s victory had secured; Loki had told her of the ill-fated trip to the frost giants’ realm and the aftermath that lead him to let himself fall off the edge of the Bifrost. Thor didn’t interrupt once, but the looks he sent his brother on occasions as he spoke told Daria that Loki was glossing over some details; she made a mental note to ask him about them when they were alone again.

 

    Then Loki told her that he had been the one to lead the invasion in New York; that had surprised her, but not quite as much as the fact that that had been kept quiet as far as the public was concerned. Loki had been curious about that as well and Thor spoke up to say that it had been at his request, earning him a surprised look from the former.

 

    “Differences aside, you are still my brother, Loki,” Thor said by way of explanation.

 

    “I’m touched. Truly,” Loki replied sarcastically and Thor rolled his eyes. Daria got the feeling that kind of thing was usual for them. Turning back to her, Loki continued, “In any case; the army was defeated and I was dragged back to Asgard for imprisonment. It didn’t take.”

 

    “And that’s how you ended up here,” Daria concluded and Loki nodded in confirmation. She looked down at her hands on her lap for a while in thought then looked up. “So what now?”

 

    “Now we return to Asgard, that Loki may serve his sentence,” Thor was quick to reply.

 

    “If you truly think that is going to happen, you’re an even bigger fool than I thought,” Loki retorted.

 

    “Loki, be reasonable,” Thor argued, “The more you try to evade your punishment, the worse it will be.”

 

    “I truly don’t see how it could get much worse,” Loki huffed.

 

    “You could be executed!” Thor exclaimed.

 

    “I stand by my previous statement,” Loki responded matter-of-factly.

 

    Thor began to argue, but Daria cut him off exasperatedly, “Enough! _Gods_ ; your mother must be a saint.”

 

    The statement caused the brothers to exchange a look then burst into as silent laughter as they could manage so as not to wake the baby again.

 

    “I do not think anyone can argue that she isn’t,” Thor responded, managing to calm most of his laughing first.

 

    “Oh, the stories she could tell...” Loki added rather fondly.

 

    Silence crept over them for a long while after that, a whisper of tension returning just under the surface, primed for the provocation that would unleash it anew. It wasn’t until Miruna woke up again that they realised just how much time had passed since Thor had shown up; morning had long since gone and most of the day with it as afternoon gave way to early evening. Daria went to tend to her daughter, leaving the brothers to speak freely again.

 

    “Thor; I’m not going back,” Loki said quietly.

 

    “You have to,” Thor replied, getting tired of this discussion.

 

    “I’m not leaving them,” Loki said firmly.

 

    Thor looked at him in surprise. “Why not?”

 

    “Because I...” Loki began then looked away, brows furrowed as he thought about it. Through the baby monitor, they could hear Daria humming softly to Miruna, and Loki closed his eyes, smiling slightly as he listened; after a while, he looked back to Thor. “I _can’t.”_

 

    Thor wasn’t sure what to make of that; it wasn’t like Loki to admit he needed anyone, much less to him, but there he was, admitting to just that. It was bizarre, and he wasn’t sure if he should be happy about it, or very suspicious.

 

    “Brother, I’m sorry, but you can’t stay here. And you cannot very well bring them with you,” Thor said.

 

    Loki opened his mouth to argue then stopped and looked down in thought, as though an idea had just occurred to him. Thor was about to warn him to let it go, whatever it was, but Loki beat him to it as he looked back up at him.

 

    “Actually, I could,” Loki said somewhat eagerly. Thor eyed him questioningly and he explained, “A blood bond.”

 

    “Loki, no!” Thor replied immediately, eyes wide in shock, “The point is to pay for crimes committed, not _add_ to the list.”

 

    “I’m already for spending the rest of my days in that cell; what difference does it make to give another reason to keep me there?” Loki scoffed.

 

    “And them?” Thor asked, “Would you subject them to a life in the dungeons as well?”

 

    “Of course not, you imbecile!” Loki snapped, clearly offended, though not exactly surprised, that Thor would even ask that, “It’s not as though they would have to be in the same room as I; that isn’t how it works.”

 

    “Father would never allow it,” Thor reasoned.

 

    “He wouldn’t have a choice,” Loki replied, “The only way to undo it would be to kill us both; I’m sure mother would just _love_ that.”

 

    Thor sighed heavily. “It’s a terrible idea.”

 

    “You _would_ be one to recognise terrible ideas,” Loki teased.

 

    “I am not going to talk you out of this, am I?” Thor asked reluctantly. That earned him a _look_. He sighed again and tried one last thing, “She would have to agree to it, of course.”

 

    “Of course she would; it wouldn’t work otherwise,” Loki replied with an annoyed sigh, “Honestly, how have you managed to stay alive without me?”

 

    “Do you truly believe that she would uproot her entire life for you?” Thor asked, ignoring the remark.

 

    Loki looked away, pressing his lips tightly together. He wanted... no, _needed_ to think she would. It wasn’t as though she would be giving much up, aside from familiar surroundings. Her work, her art, could be done anywhere. She didn’t exactly have friends, Henrik had seen to _that_ who knows how long ago; no family that he knew of. The reality was, as far as he was aware, she had nothing to keep her there.

 

    Still; was he _really_ worth leaving for?

 

    “In a heartbeat,” Daria replied from the doorway, holding her recently-fed daughter in her arms.


	8. Chapter 8

    Thor looked at Daria in shock. In truth he’d had little doubt that Loki could convince her to go along with his plan given enough time; he knew how persuasive his brother could be, after all. But he definitely didn’t expect the woman to just agree like that without hesitation. And judging by the look on Loki’s face, he hadn’t quite expected it either; though he certainly wasn’t about to complain.

 

    “You are certain?” He asked slowly. Daria nodded. “You realise this would mean you can never return home?”

 

    “Home isn’t a place,” Daria replied simply.

 

    “How much of that did you hear?” Loki asked cautiously.

 

    Daria shrugged slightly. “Just that last question.”

 

    “Then you did not hear what would be required for you to be able to come with us,” Thor said, sure that when she learned it, she would change her mind. Daria shook her head then looked to Loki, clearly not expecting any satisfactory answers from Thor.

 

    “It would require a blood bond to be forged between us,” Loki explained, “It’s a rather straightforward ritual; an exchange of blood, a bit of magick, and our lives are linked to one another.”

 

    “How linked?” Daria asked, seeming more curious than concerned.

 

    “Well, for starters, it would extend your life-span to match mine; given that I am the less, ah... _short-lived_ of us.” Loki replied.

 

    Daria hummed and remarked, “Sounds rule-breaking.”

 

    “It is,” Thor confirmed disapprovingly and Loki shot him a quick glare.

 

    “Anything else?” Daria asked.

 

    “Well, there is a rather significant downside...” Loki replied hesitantly. Daria raised an eyebrow in question. “Our lives, as I said, would be inextricably linked; meaning that if one of us dies...”

 

    “We both do,” Daria concluded. Loki nodded and she puffed out a breath, biting her lip. “Well, that’s definitely significant.”

 

    “Aye; it is too big a sacrifice to ask of a new mother,” Thor said pointedly.

 

    Loki looked down, clenching his jaw; he had to admit, Thor had a point. If anything happened to just him or, Norns forbid, Daria; Miruna would still have someone to care for her. But to lose both of them...

 

    After a moment, Daria spoke again. “What exactly _is_ Loki’s sentence?”

 

    “Life imprisonment,” Thor replied, eyeing her curiously.

 

    “Oh. Well, _that_ explains a lot...” Daria remarked.

 

    Thor looked at Loki, who was eyeing Daria very unamusedly, then turned back to her. “Why do you wish to know?” He asked somewhat suspiciously.

 

    “Oh, I just wanted to see if it would change my mind,” Daria replied, readjusting her hold on Miruna, who was beginning to fuss slightly in her arms.

 

    “And has it?” Loki asked, sounding far calmer than he was actually feeling.

 

    “... Not really, no,” Daria replied, shaking her head.

 

    Loki tried not to look very crestfallen, and to his credit mostly succeeded. He couldn’t really blame her; it was a very big risk. He had been selfish for even thinking of suggesting it.

 

    Thor stood. “It’s for the best. Come, brother; we must return now.”

 

    Loki had reluctantly stood, when Daria surprised them both by asking, “What do I need to do?”

 

    “What?” Loki asked, too surprised to even bother trying to hide the fact.

 

    “For the blood bond,” Daria replied. In an instant, Loki’s shock turned into tentative elation as he processed the words just spoken. Daria smiled slightly at that. “What do I need to do?”

 

    “You understand the risk this brings, do you not?” Thor asked, clearly wanting to talk her out of it.

 

    “Can’t imagine it’d be that much of a risk with Loki in a cell,” Daria scoffed.

 

    “A fair point,” Loki agreed.

 

    Thor glared at him then looked back to Daria. “You would be willing to part with friends, family, for him?”

 

    “I don’t _have_ friends or family,” Daria replied flatly, “Not outside this room, anyway.”

 

    “Thor, you’re stalling; if you truly wanted to stop this, you would have,” Loki said, growing increasingly annoyed.

 

    “I merely wish to be sure you _both_ understand the consequences of this path,” Thor replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

    “As if you would even know if we did,” Loki scoffed.

 

    “Will you both just...” Daria groaned then sighed, “Focus.”

 

    “Right. Well, we should first get your belongings together; anything that can’t be replaced,” Loki suggested. He flicked his wrist and a slim black crystal half the length of his hand appeared on his palm. This, presented to Daria. “Here, you’ll need this.”

 

    Daria exchanged Miruna for the crystal and held it up, examining it curiously. “What is it?”

 

    “A solid version of the spell I use to store anything I can’t do without,” Loki explained, smiling down at Miruna, “Just touch it to whatever you want to bring and it will be sent into a place between dimensions. When we get to Asgard, just give it to mother; she’ll know what to do.”

 

    “How much can I bring?” Daria asked, her mind already coming up with a list of things she’d rather not leave behind.

 

    Loki laughed lightly. “You can’t bring the house,” He teased.

 

    “Oh, you’re hilarious,” Daria retorted sarcastically, earning a grin from the trickster.

 

    “It will be enough,” Loki assured, “Assuming, of course, I know you as well as I believe.”

 

    “In that case, I’m not worried,” Daria said then turned and left the room, going upstairs to begin the task.

 

 

    Thor observed his brother closely as they sat down again to wait for Daria to return. The way he handled the child in his arms, looked at it; he was utterly fascinated. It was a very strange thought; Loki, the infamous God of Mischief, entranced by an infant.

 

    Perhaps he wasn’t as beyond redemption as Thor had resigned himself to believe after the invasion.

 

    After a while, Loki, sensing he was being watched, looked up at Thor. As soon as his eyes were off Miruna, all trace of tenderness fled Loki’s face, to be replaced by his usual mask of indifference.

 

    “What?” He asked Thor flatly.

 

    “You are awfully interested in that child,” Thor replied.

 

    “Your point?” Loki asked somewhat testily.

 

    “It merely makes me think,” Thor replied with a shrug.

 

    “Please don’t; wouldn’t want you to strain yourself,” Loki retorted, to which Thor rolled his eyes. He looked back down at Miruna. “She’s not mine... exactly. But I have known her since before she was born. I was _there_ when she was born. I just... _know_ her.”

 

    “And her birth father?” Thor asked.

 

    “Is not worth mention,” Loki replied with the kind of subtle venom Thor had only ever heard him manage; the kind that promised a slow, painful death given half a chance.

 

    Thor didn’t know just what the man had done to earn Loki’s hate, but he could venture a guess; Daria _had_ said she had no family, after all.

 

    “I still don’t understand,” Thor asked after a moment.

 

    “ _There’s_ a shock,” Loki replied sarcastically. Thor glared at him and Loki smirked, clearly enjoying himself; it never ceased to amuse him, how easy it was to get under the Thunderer’s skin.

 

    With a sigh, Thor returned to his question. “Why are you so attached to these mortals? To risk a blood bond? It’s mad, even for you.”

 

    “I wouldn’t expect you capable of understanding,” Loki replied shortly.

 

    “Try me,” Thor pressed.

 

    “Since when have you ever cared for my reasons to do anything?” Loki snapped.

 

    Thor opened his mouth to respond then thought better of it; it was clear he wasn’t going to be getting any answers, at least not until Loki was less irritated with him. In truth, that was only part of the reason for Loki’s avoidance; the bigger reason was that he honestly just didn’t know the answer himself. But he certainly wasn’t going to admit _that_ , least of all to Thor.

 

 

    Once Daria had returned Loki set Miruna down on a nest of cushions on the floor, not trusting Thor with something so fragile, and sat facing her in the middle of the room; in one hand he held his dagger, the other held Daria’s hand palm up between them.

 

    “You are absolutely certain you wish to do this?” Loki asked her one last time, “There will be no going back.”

 

    “There’s nothing to go back to,” Daria replied.

 

    Loki nodded and brought the dagger to her palm. He looked her in the eyes again, just to be sure, and was met with resolution. Apologising beforehand, he drew the blade across Daria’s skin, earning a sharp intake of breath and a slight flinch as she instinctually tried to draw her hand back but he held it fast. Loki did the same to his opposite hand then took hold of Daria’s, cut palms against each other. He muttered a string of words in a language she couldn’t understand then looked at Thor, who was sitting next to them. Taking that as his queue, Thor spoke the words he had been instructed to.

 

    “Loki...” He paused, not exactly sure how Loki would prefer to be addressed, and looked at him questioningly.

 

    “Friggason,” Loki said pointedly.

 

    Thor nodded and continued, “Loki Friggason; you swear to be bound to another by blood, in strength and weakness, in life and death?”

 

    “I swear,” Loki replied steadily.

 

    Thor looked to Daria, and before he could ask, she said, “Lupei.”

 

    Thor nodded gratefully. “Daria Lupei; you swear to be bound to another by blood, in strength and weakness, in life and death?”

 

    Daria looked at Loki and without a hint of hesitation replied, “I swear.”

 

    Once the words were spoken, Daria felt a tingling sort of sensation going up the arm connected to Loki’s, leaving shivers running down her spine; Loki was looking at their hands curiously and seemed to mirror her reaction.

 

    “And so it is sworn in blood and words; and so it will remain until the time all will cease to be,” Thor finished. He looked Loki straight in the eyes as they all stood, Daria scooping Miruna into her arms, and warned, “Do not make me regret this, brother.”

 

    Loki, who was looking a Daria and her daughter, replied, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A blood bond is not to be confused with a blood _oath_ ; which is basically adopting each other as siblings in most cases and won't actually kill one if the other one dies.


	9. Chapter 9

    Asgard was impressive, Daria had to admit. What little of the city and the palace she had seen so far hadn’t quite been able to match the fascination the Bifrost had held her in, but it was still very interesting, even if she hadn’t had much time to really take in the sights as they made their way to the throne room. As they neared the doors she began to get nervous; while Loki had assured her that there was nothing the Allfather could do to separate them without killing them, something his mother would never allow, she was still very much aware of how dangerous this whole thing was.

 

    Not that she regretted her decision to come, but she wasn’t exactly looking forward to raising her daughter in a cell. Assuming the king wouldn’t just take Miruna from her first out of spite; what little Loki had told her of the man the previous night made that feel like a very real possibility.

 

    “Relax, Daria; you’ll be fine,” Loki attempted to calm her as they walked. He was walking next to her as Thor led the way, unchained unlike the last time he’d been there, much to the bemusement of the guards that escorted them. Seeing the uncertainty on her face, he added, “Look to mother if you feel nervous; she will look after you.”

 

    “Got it,” She replied with a nod.

 

    Loki smiled at her then turned his attention forward once again.

 

 

    Inside the throne room, Loki seemed to become a completely different person; his steps as they made their way down the hall were easy and his whole being exuded an air of arrogance that Daria recognised to be at least mostly faked. It was his mask, she realised; hide the pain behind smiles and taunts and jokes. What little she knew of his past made her wonder just how long the act had been going on, and if he even knew, for that matter. When they reached the throne, they were faced with a one-eyed man she assumed to be Odin and by his side stood easily the most elegant woman Daria had ever seen that she took to be Frigga; Thor stepped aside and Loki moved forward and dipped into a theatrical and clearly mocking bow, his eyes never leaving the king, who looked back at him impassively and waved the guards away.

 

    “Here again,” Loki declared cheerfully with an easy smile, “Did you miss me?”

 

    Frigga and Thor sighed, and Odin opened his mouth to speak, when he noticed Daria and Miruna for the first time as they had been obscured behind the two much taller men as they arrived. The look on his face downright scared her, and she instinctively hugged her daughter closer to her chest and moved a half-step behind Loki; something not missed by anyone in the room.

 

    “What is this?” Odin snapped.

 

    “My win,” Loki replied with a wolfish grin.

 

    “Explain yourself!” Odin demanded shortly.

 

    “It’s the one thing even you cannot take from me,” Loki replied smugly.

 

    He lifted his left hand and showed them the thin scar on his palm that was left as evidence of the binding ritual. Their eyes widened in shock and Frigga gasped softly then a look of fury overtook Odin’s features, making Daria step further behind Loki.

 

    “A blood binding?? Have you completely lost your mind?!” Odin yelled, startling Daria and causing Miruna to start crying.

 

    “‘Lost’? Some would argue I never had it,” Loki replied lightly, seemingly unconcerned.

 

    “You would perform this act without my consent, and with a _mortal_ no less!” Odin continued, eyeing Daria with a look that was either disapproval or disgust, she couldn’t really tell, and she shrunk further into herself as she tried to get Miruna to quiet down.

 

    “Well, she’s hardly a mortal anymore,” Loki pointed out, absentmindedly casting a quick spell that gently put Miruna to sleep, “And why ever should I need _your_ permission to do anything, _Allfather?”_

 

    “You make mockery of a most sacred ritual,” Odin spat.

 

    “Do I?” Loki retorted, “Perhaps I mean it.”

 

    Odin scoffed derisively. “With your hatred for humans, you expect me to believe that?”

 

    “I don’t hate humans. Just because I hold no love for them, does not mean I hate them,” Loki replied with a scoff, earning a rather surprised look from both Odin and Thor. He crossed his arms over his chest. “And should I bother to point out the hypocrisy of your words? You don’t exactly think much of them yourself.”

 

    Choosing to ignore his last statement Odin asked sceptically, “So you would have me believe that you actually care for this woman?”

 

    At the mention of her, the men turned their attention to Daria, and were startled to notice something that Frigga had been paying close attention to from the moment it started; at some point in the conversation, Daria’s unease had intensified, and as the only thought in her mind became a desire to disappear she began to feel a strange sort of tingling sensation starting at her chest that slowly spread throughout her whole being. She had been oblivious to any perceivable changes until she registered the surprise in the others’ expressions.

 

    “What?” She asked, barely above a whisper.

 

    “I knew magick ran in your blood, but I had no idea it went that deep,” Loki said so softly that only she and Thor heard him, his surprise giving way to interest. Daria looked at him in confusion and he added, “Look down.”

 

    Daria looked down at herself and gasped as she realised what he was referring to; somehow, her thoughts had started to become reality, and she and her daughter had become somewhat transparent.

 

    “Well, that’s... new,” Daria said somewhat shakily, not sure what exactly was going on.

 

    “What is the meaning of this, Loki? What have you done?” Odin asked, obviously more than tired of dealing with his youngest’s antics.

 

    “This is not Loki’s doing, husband,” Frigga spoke for the first time, stepping down from besides the throne and moving towards Daria.

 

    “What do you know?” Odin asked her, sounding a lot less hostile than Daria had seen so far.

 

    Loki stood aside as his mother reached them, more than trusting her with Daria and Miruna’s wellbeing, and the moment she reached them Daria understood why; the woman positively radiated calm and safety, and slowly Daria became completely visible again.

 

    “You have nothing to fear, young one,” Frigga told her softly, placing a hand on her arm. She then turned back to Odin. “I know this young lady is not human.”

 

    “What?!” Daria blurted out before anyone else could.

 

    They all eyed her in surprise at the outburst, and she shifted self-consciously, adjusting the still-slumbering Miruna in her arms.

 

    Odin recovered first. “What is she, then?”

 

    “That I don’t know,” Frigga replied, eyeing Daria a bit apologetically.

 

    “How do we find out?” Thor asked, looking at both his mother and Loki for an answer.

 

    Loki was looking at Daria oddly, and she found herself shifting her weight from foot to foot again, not sure what to make of it and dearly wanting to know what he was thinking.

 

    “How, indeed,” Frigga voiced.

 

 

    Daria paced in the middle of the room she had been led to, waiting for Thor, or Frigga, or _anyone_ to come tell her what exactly was going to happen to Loki, and by extension herself, as she hadn’t been allowed to stay and hear Odin’s decision. She wanted to believe it would be alright, if only because she was getting very tired of stressing, but she couldn’t shake the looks Odin had given her from her mind. It seemed pretty clear to her that the man at best didn’t like her, though she had no idea why; she’d barely said a handful of words since she’d stepped into the palace, and none of them towards him. Was it just because of her association with Loki? If so, that was hardly an objective stance for a king to have. As she was debating whether she should leave the room and find someone who would talk to her, the doors swung open and Frigga walked in.

 

    Daria practically ran to her and anxiously asked, “What’s gonna happen to him?”

 

    “Nothing too harsh, I assure you,” Frigga replied, somewhat surprised by the young woman’s intensity, “He has been returned to his cell, though with extra precautionary methods in place so that he doesn’t escape again.”

 

    “Can I see him?” Daria asked.

 

    “I’m afraid not. At least, not yet,” Frigga replied, offering a sympathetic look. Daria looked down with a sigh, her shoulders slumping, and Frigga stepped closer to her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I promise you, I will do what I can.”

 

    Daria looked up at her gratefully and the queen smiled warmly, wrapping her arm around Daria’s shoulders and leading her to a seat by the window.

 

    “He hates it,” Daria spoke up after a moment, “Being locked up, I mean. He used to wake me up in the beginning so I’d let him out of the house; he didn’t even go anywhere, he just... sat there outside.”

 

    Frigga chuckled slightly. “Loki has always enjoyed the freedom to go wherever he wished, even if that meant spending whole days in his chambers; as long as it was his choice.”

 

    “I know the feeling...” Daria muttered. Frigga looked at her curiously and she quickly said, “Doesn’t matter.”

 

    Frigga didn’t look convinced, but she let the matter drop and turned to the question on everybody else’s mind, “If I may ask; what exactly is your relationship with my son?”

 

    Daria looked up at the ceiling. “I have no idea.”

 

    “Do you love him?” Frigga asked.

 

    “He’s given me something I’ve never known before; I’d be lost without him,” Daria replied, looking back at the queen, “I do love him. Very much.”

 

    Frigga hummed softly then took one of Daria’s hands in her own. “Good. He will need that.”


	10. Chapter 10

    Daria and Frigga chatted a bit after, with the latter telling her a few very amusing stories about Loki and Thor’s childhood; they had been as much of a handful as she’d guessed. When Daria had completely relaxed, she finally felt just how tired she was, and Frigga had led her and Miruna to another room where they could rest until more permanent accommodations were prepared. As she lay in bed, her mind went through everything that had happened recently and Thor’s question to Loki suddenly surfaced.

_“Do you truly believe that she would uproot her entire life for you?”_ , he had asked. She had seen Loki’s face when she answered for him; he didn’t think she would. He honestly thought he was about to leave her behind for good because he didn’t think she’d follow him at the expense of everything she knew.

 

    _Guess it makes sense,_ She thought. _He doesn’t know. He couldn’t know._ She turned over onto her side and heard her conscience whisper. _You have to tell him eventually, just like he has to tell you everything; these aren’t secrets you keep from those who love you._

 

    Daria turned onto her stomach and buried her face in the pillow with a groan. Instead of acknowledging that, she moved on to what she’d apparently done just before she was sent out of the throne room, and what Frigga had said about it.

 

    She still couldn’t wrap her mind around it. She wasn’t human? What the hell was she, then? And how would they even find out? Then she thought about what Loki had said; that he knew magick ran in her blood. What did that even mean? He didn’t know what she was, but clearly he knew _something_ , and had apparently known for some time.

 

    _Why the hell didn’t he tell me?_ Daria thought, feeling a flash of anger going through her. _This isn’t the kind of thing you just don’t tell people._ She clenched her hands on the pillow then sighed. _Then again; who’s to say he wasn’t going to say something eventually? We’ve only actually been talking a grand total of two days._

 

    She turned onto her back and sighed again. Maybe Loki had been planning to tell her eventually, but then Thor showed up and it all went to hell; things had happened pretty fast, after all. She ran her hands over her stomach, feeling the stretch marks her pregnancy had left behind, and traced a finger over the light scar on her left hand. Loki had told her that no amount of time or magick would erase it; it was a permanent physical reminder of what they now shared.

 

    _So I’m basically immortal now, for whatever that’s worth._ She mused. _But was I ever even mortal to begin with? Maybe nothing’s changed._ She looked over to the crib that had been brought in for Miruna; Frigga said it had belonged to Loki and that she had hoped it would one day belong to Loki’s own children. They’d had a laugh imagining Loki’s expression when he was informed of that. _He’s as good as anyway._ She thought. There was simply no denying the affection the god felt for that baby, it was plain to see for anyone who would look.

 

    She couldn’t help but wonder what any of this would mean for her daughter. She was sure that Loki had had a plan; she couldn’t very well think that he wouldn’t have thought of a way to keep her from outliving her own child by centuries at the very least. But would it even be necessary anymore?

 

    So many questions and not enough answers. All she could do was wait and hope that someone would figure it out. _Thought that part of my life was over._ Daria thought bitterly. She stared up at the ceiling and let out an annoyed huff.

 

    Eventually, she managed to drift off to sleep.

 

 

    Loki found himself standing on a vast meadow stretching as far as his eyes could see; the grass below his bare feet was warm and yet when he looked up, though it was comfortably bright, he could see no sun, only sparse clouds and blue skies. He looked around, taking in the purple flowers that surrounded him, when his eyes landed on a familiar form sitting a few feet away from him; her back was turned to him and she was gazing up at the sky, hair swaying in the light breeze that was blowing.

 

    He made his way over to her and called out, “Daria?”

 

    Daria started at the sound of his voice and turned around, eyeing him with complete surprise. “ _Loki?_ What-? How did-?” She stammered, “What are you doing here?”

 

    “I’m not sure what answer I could give you, seeing as I don’t know where ‘here’ is,” Loki replied, looking around.

 

    “This is my... Well... This is where I... where I go...” Daria trailed off, shifting a bit uncomfortably. Loki looked at her oddly and she added, “We’re asleep.”

 

    “I gathered that; what with not being in my oh-so-cosy cell and all,” Loki said then looked around again. “This is _your_ dream, then?”

 

    “Yeah...” Daria replied. Loki looked back at her, clearly knowing there was something she wasn’t saying, but she ignored his unspoken question. “How did you get here? Frigga told me your magick was limited to your cell.”

 

    Loki thought for a moment then closed the remaining distance between them and sat down next to her. “My guess is that you brought me.”

 

    “Me? Wh- How would I even do that?” Daria asked, catching herself before she said ‘why’.

 

    Loki arched an eyebrow slightly at her near-word, but said nothing of it. “Clearly, you have magick of your own. And then there is our bond; we are deeply connected, it would be nothing for either of us to call to the other. You must have wanted me here.”

 

    “I... I guess I _did_ want to see you,” Daria said somewhat guardedly.

 

    “Just not here?” Loki asked. She looked down and he leaned forward to catch her gaze again. “I’m not my brother; you were about to say ‘why’. This place is special to you, isn’t it? Private.”

 

    Daria bit her bottom lip then nodded slightly. “This is where I went to get away. It’s my place,” She replied softly.

 

    “And I’m intruding,” Loki concluded, straightening up, and she didn’t miss the disappointment in his voice.

 

    “No!” She said quickly. Loki looked at her a bit sceptically and she sighed. “Maybe. I don’t know. I’ve never... I just... I never had anyone to share this with. It’s... new.”

 

    Loki mulled her words over then, seeming satisfied with the answer, relaxed a bit. “Get away from what? Henrik?”

 

    “... Yeah...” Daria replied a bit hesitantly, “Eventually...”

 

    “The family you don’t have, then?” Loki asked carefully.

 

    Daria was quiet for a while. “You didn’t think I’d come with you.”

 

    “I did not,” Loki replied, letting the subject be for the moment, “You are utterly mad to have done so.”

 

    Daria laughed a bit. “Wouldn’t be the first crazy thing I’ve done.”

 

    Loki smiled slightly then asked the question that had been nagging at him for the past few hours, “Why _did_ you come?”

 

    Daria looked him straight in the eyes. “Because I had to.”

 

    “Why?” Loki asked.

 

    “Why did you stay?” Daria countered.

 

    Loki hesitated for a moment, thinking. It had been a question he had asked himself often. Why _had_ he stayed? Why did he provide whatever comforts he could to her during her pregnancy? Why did he constantly protect and even save her life a handful of times? Why did he rush to her, at the expense of his own freedom, to be there with her during her labour? Why did he do everything he could think of to stay with her?

 

    “Because I had to,” Loki finally replied. It was a simple answer, but it was the absolute truth; he couldn’t have stopped himself from doing any of it if he had tried. It was a somewhat disturbing realisation, but there it was. He looked at his left hand, the hand that had revealed such terrible truths what felt like a lifetime ago, and gazed at the scar on his palm in thought. “I am beginning to believe we have been closely connected since long before the blood bond was sworn.”

 

    Daria looked at her own scar. “I was starting to think the same thing. You’ve always felt...”

 

    “Familiar,” Loki finished for her. Daria nodded. “As though I’ve always known you.”

 

    “Exactly,” Daria agreed, “Like you’re just... _meant_ to be there; and every moment before just feels...”

 

    “Lacking. Like something was missing,” Loki continued, looking back at her, “And now I feel...”

 

    “Complete,” Daria finished, meeting his gaze. Loki nodded and she exhaled slowly. “This is so bizarre.”

 

    “Indeed,” Loki agreed.

 

    Daria stretched her arms over her head and lay back on the grass with a sigh, eyes closed. Loki looked down at her with the ghost of a smile on his lips, then followed suit.

 

    After a while of only the breeze and the rustle of the grass and flowers for sound, Daria asked, “What do you think I am?”

 

    “I have no idea,” Loki replied after some thought, “There were other races besides humans on Midgard once, but to my knowledge they had long since moved on to safer places after humans began hunting them or destroying their homes and hideaways. Perhaps some remained, but I could only guess as to which ones they could be.”

 

    Daria hummed then shifted slightly, getting more comfortable. Absently, her hand reached for Loki’s and she slipped her fingers in between his; he smiled slightly, enjoying how utterly natural this all felt.

 

    For a long while, neither of them spoke, basking in the peace Daria’s dreamscape provided; then Daria broke the silence to say casually, “Oh, by the way; Frigga gave me your old crib for Miruna.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, I am _so sorry_ that I haven't updated this in forever! I had a combination of writer's block plus my mind kept coming up with new stories. I'm sorry.

    Daria awoke the next morning feel oddly peaceful considering all that had happened the previous day; a large part of her stress had been due to her worrying about Loki, so knowing that he was relatively okay did wonders for her. She had breakfast in the room she had slept in then spent the rest of the morning in a very large set of rooms she was taken to afterwards; they were easily a house unto itself and Frigga told her they were Loki’s. Apparently he’d been very adamant that she be given his hall, claiming that ‘someone may as well use them’, which translated to it being the only place he’d be comfortable with her being in.

 

    Daria didn’t really mind; it was clear he had spent a lot of time in there, and she could almost sense him in every inch of the place which set her mind more at ease. And if she were being honest, it was the only physical place she had felt safe in other than by Loki’s side since she set foot in the realm.

 

    As she sat on a chair she’d dragged to the balcony of the antechamber feeding Miruna she heard a knock on the door and called for whoever it was to enter, shifting slightly in the seat to better see the door. When Odin walked into the room she was immediately on edge again and turned her body so that she was more between him and her daughter.

 

    “I mean no harm,” He said calmly. Daria eyed him with scepticism and no small amount of suspicion, not relaxing in the slightest. “And rest assured that even if I did, the sheer amount of protective enchantments Loki has woven into these chambers over the centuries would prevent much from even I.”

 

At that Daria calmed a little. “What do you want, then?” She asked as she burped her daughter.

 

    “I spoke with Frigga last night; she believes that you and Loki share a connection beyond that of the blood bond,” Odin replied.

 

    “I take it you don’t think so,” Daria more stated than asked, standing up and going to place Miruna back in the crib.

 

    “Loki is not prone to caring for others,” Odin said matter-of-factly as he followed her into the bedchamber.

 

    “And _you_ would know,” Daria retorted; a little sharper than she had intended but, oddly enough, she didn’t really fear him as much as she had the previous day.

 

    “I see. He has you convinced that he is the victim in all, has he?” Odin scoffed.

 

    “I’m not an idiot; I know he’s screwed up,” Daria snapped, unsure where this sudden fire was coming from, “But you didn’t exactly give him the best starting point. And if you keep expecting him to screw up; how is he ever supposed to make up for anything?”

 

    “He feels no remorse for what he has done; he has never tried to atone,” Odin replied.

 

    “You haven’t given him the chance!” Daria retorted exasperatedly, “The very first thing you did was lock him up.”

 

    “So I was meant to let him roam freely after he attempted to destroy a realm and conquer another?” Odin shot back.

 

    “Of course not!” Daria replied, “But a _life sentence?_ Thor instigated a war and you banished him for a week! And _he_ didn’t have _his_ world flipped completely upside down first.”

 

    “You would justify his crimes with how he learned of his origins?” Odin asked in disbelief.

 

    “Nothing _justifies_ attempted genocide,” Daria scoffed, insulted that he would even ask that, “But can you honestly say he was in any fit state of mind to see that? He had just learned that he was a ‘monster’; he was angry and he was scared, so he did what any _child_ in that position would’ve done and lashed out. Yes, it was destructive, and yes, he went too far, but at its core it was the action of a boy.”

 

    Odin stared at her for a minute, surprised by how rational her argument was. “And Midgard? What are your thoughts on that?”

 

    “My thoughts are that you really need to take a closer look at what actually happened,” Daria replied somewhat cryptically.

 

 

    Odin left Loki’s chambers unsure what to make of the Midgardian; he had expected blind devotion and instead was met with a point of view he had not considered before. It was clear that Daria cared for Loki, but she also had the presence of mind to disapprove of his crimes even as she was sympathetic to some of the reasoning behind them.

 

    She was a curious creature; whatever she was.

 

    He thought of the conversation he’d had with his wife the previous evening. If there was a connection between Loki and Daria besides the one they had forged by their blood; just what was it? And how deep did it go? Thor had told them both of his brother’s actions as they fought; how he had risked severe injury to protect her and the child seemingly on instinct. Loki’s own insistence that they give her his chambers to stay in further cemented the idea. As he thought on all of that, he directed his steps to the healer’s hall; he wanted Eir to examine the girl and see if she could find out just what she was.

 

 

    When lunchtime came around Daria had expected the food that was brought in for her, but not the blond prince that followed the servants in. She eyed him curiously but agreed to his request to join her for the meal, though she had a feeling he would be asking questions or making comments soon enough.

 

    She was not disappointed.

 

    “I must confess to still be confused as to how close you and Loki seem to be,” Thor said after the food was gone.

 

    “You and everyone else,” Daria retorted, rolling her eyes.

 

    “You have not known my brother as long as we have; he has long been withdrawn at best,” Thor said, “It is unusual for him to care for another.”

 

    “Your dad said as much earlier,” Daria replied, “And I’ll tell you what I told him: How would you know? How well do you really know Loki; what goes on in his mind?”

 

    Thor looked down a moment. “Not as well as I should, I know that much now. But Loki does not make it easy. He has rejected my every attempt to make up for my wrongs and repair the rift between us; I no longer believe it is even possible.”

 

    Daria looked at him for a while then buried her face in her palm with a sigh. She understood what Loki had talked about the previous night in her dreamscape better now. It was more than obvious how oblivious his father and brother were of just how badly they had damaged his heart and mind; they were too busy condemning him for the things he had done as a result. She looked back up at Thor and tried to think of a way to make him understand and realise he was going about things all wrong. After a moment she came up with something.

 

    “Would you stick your hand in a fire?” She asked him suddenly.

 

    “Of course not!” Thor replied, looking at her oddly.

 

    “Why not?” Daria asked.

 

    “Because I would get burned,” Thor replied, wondering why she was even asking something so obvious.

 

    “Why wouldn’t you want to get burned?” Daria continued, seemingly unconcerned by his growing confusion.

 

    “Because it hurts,” Thor replied.

 

    “And you know this for a fact?” Daria asked.

 

    “Of course!” Thor replied indignantly.

 

    “How?” Daria pressed, hoping his next answer might make him see the point of her questioning.

 

    “Because I have been burned be-... before...” Thor replied, finally realising what she was driving towards. Daria sat back and smirked at him. “I see...”

 

    “I hope so,” Daria replied.

 

    Thor eyed her thoughtfully. “You truly love him, don’t you?” He commented.

 

    “I do,” Daria replied, “Not sure I understand how yet, but I do.”

 

    “You put me to shame, my lady; all of these years and I did not see something so plainly in front of me,” Thor said.

 

    “And now that you do see?” Daria asked.

 

    “Now I will once again try to bridge the gap between us, whenever he is receptive to it,” Thor replied.

 

    With that he stood, thanked her for the company and the insight, and then left to carry on with his duties; leaving Daria feeling good about herself and the knowledge that she might have done some good.


End file.
